Rooty Toot Toot and Rummy Tum Tum A Short Story by Marc Drayer Based on the song “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” Inspired by Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Books

An elephant and a monkey had been close friends for as long as they could remember, and an elephant's memory is long. The elephant's name was Rooty and the monkey's name was Rummy. They lived in a jungle in what the humans called India. Rooty was lumbering along in his usual casual manner when there was an unusual rustling in the trees above him and somebody dropped down on the elephant's back. He was chattering with great excitement. It was his friend Rummy. “You'd never guess what I heard in the man village tonight!” said Rummy. WHOOF! Rooty reached up with his trunk and snatched the monkey off his back and looked at him with angry eyes. “How many times have I told you to stay away from the man village, Rummy!?” he said. “They are dangerous! They could shoot you or even worse, put you in a cage. They are not to be trusted!” “Sorry, Rooty, I couldn't help myself,” said Rummy. “I heard some singing there and I was drawn to it. I kept myself out of sight and listened. Do you know what they were singing about?” Rooty forgave his ever-impulsive friend. What should he expect from a monkey anyway? He put Rummy down and asked, “So what are they singing about?” “A lot of things,” said Rummy. “One thing is about a Sandy Claws who is coming to the village.” “What's a Sandy Claws?” said Rooty. “Sounds like a tiger or a bear to me.” “Beats me,” said Rummy. “It's someone who watches them to see if they are bad or good and gives them gifts. The strange thing is, the song mentions us. It goes 'Rooty toot toot and Rummy tum tum.'” “This gets even more curious as you go on,” said Rooty. “It's about some festival they call Kry-Mus or something like that.” said the monkey. “There are more songs about other things like a man made of snow, about three rajahs, and about a man-cub who was born in a land far away from here who is supposed to cure the sickness that these humans suffer from. Then some speak of bright ones who sing about peace.” Rooty's eyes got big. He lifted up his trunk and trumpeted. “It's the legend!” he cried out. Rummy looked at his friend with questions in his eyes. “What legend?” “It's an old story told among us elephants,” said Rooty. “It's about man and how he got to be the way he is.” he closed his eyes and recited in a sing-song voice: “Ages ago, long before the grandfathers of our grandfathers, Man was not at war with us. They were set here to look after us beasts and care for us. But something went very wrong. Some of them ate poison. It didn't stop there. The poison spread through all that people. It set them at war with each other, at war with us, at war with the world. They set out to ruin the earth they were supposed to care for. The poison even affected us, setting us at war with each other. But it is said it will not be always this way. It is whispered among us that Man will be cured one day, peace will spread through all the land and wolves and deer will walk together.” Now it was time for Rummy to be amazed. “I never heard that story before. It is wonderful!” he said. “Indeed,” said Rooty. “We need to do something about this as well as prepare a gift for this Sandy Claws when he appears.” “What do you mean?” asked Rummy. “Let me think.” For a few hours, he swayed from side to side, eyes closed, his trunk against his forehead. Rummy knew better than to disturb him in this state. He knew that his friend was in deep thought, so he sat and waited. The silence was suddenly broken by booming laughter. Rooty laughed long and hard. “Sandy Claws! Three Rajahs! The Man-Cub! Bright ones singing of peace! A man made of snow! Pa rum pum pum-pum!” he said. He was laughing so hard, tears were running down his face. “I have it, Rummy!” “What is it?” said the monkey. “It's in that first song. That's our gift! We give ourselves in a song, Rooty Toot Toot and Rummy Tum Tum! I can trumpet a sweet song, and you know what you can do?” “I can guess,” said Rummy. “I'll get my little hollow log and some sticks and make a drum.” “You got it! Go get it.” said Rooty. Soon, the monkey came back with the instrument. Rooty picked him up with his trunk and set him on his back. He did a soft trumpeting, making music as Rummy beat on the drum. It was a gift, and an announcement that the Promise was fulfilled and was beginning. And Sandy Claws was coming with his gifts. The song spread through the jungle.

The Promise has begun, The Gifts are coming, And now joy is fulfilled! Sandy Claws comes in his wagon And the jungle will be filled!

Beast after beast joined in the song as the man village was singing its own songs. It was a time of hope, of joy, an expectation of peace...and of laughter.